


perihelion

by fleurdelester



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Childhood Friends, Dan Howell - Freeform, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phil Lester - Freeform, astronaut!phil, astrophysicist!dan, love me pls, space boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8580808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdelester/pseuds/fleurdelester
Summary: per·i·he·li·onthe point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sunorthe one where Dan wants to study the stars and Phil wants to be king of the universe





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for pbb4! beta was @tsingadark on tumblr, and artist was @orbitingphan! Link to art on my blog: Evacuated-heart.tumblr.com

Dan’s focus, for once, isn’t on the stars above his head.  
It’s a warm summer night and he’s looking through his family’s telescope with his dad on their front lawn. By all means, he should be paying attention to what his father is saying, considering looking at the stars is his favourite thing they do together, but Dan’s gaze keeps flickering back to his neighbour’s house across the street, where a boy about his age with black hair stares longingly at the scene. He focuses his attention back to his dad when he hears that Jupiter’s moons are visible tonight.  
He glances back to the window one more time, this time seeing a woman – the boy’s mum, presumably – with her hand on his shoulder, whispering something to him. The boy’s smile grows blindingly wide, and he bounds away from the window and out of sight.  
Seconds later, Dan sees the front door thrown open, and the boy runs across the street to his lawn, not even checking both ways for oncoming cars.  
“Is that a real telescope?” he asks, slightly out of breath.  
Dan’s father nods, asking if he wants to see, to which the boy practically leaps towards the telescope, eager to get his hands on it.  
“You remind me of Dan the first time I told him we had a telescope,” Dan’s dad laughs. “What’s your name, boy?”  
“Phil,” the boy answers, not bothering to look up, obviously entranced by whatever he is seeing. His small fingers tighten around the handles of the telescope, and his lips part slightly in awe.  
“You can see Jupiter’s moons,” Dan states, wanting to show off in front of Phil.  
“Is that what I’m looking at?” Phil hums, turning to look at Dan, but only to catch Dan humming assent. “They’re beautiful.”  
“I’m going to learn everything there is to know about space when I’m older,” Dan muses. “I’m going to know every planet’s name, and why some planets have more moons than others, and what stars are made of. It’s going to be great.”  
“Well, I’m going to become King of the Universe one day, so I hope that means I can actually visit space,” Phil says nonchalantly, adjusting the focus of the telescope.  
Dan laughs loudly, and Phil gives him a scathing look.  
“You think you’re going to be King of the Universe one day?” Dan asks, trying to mask the laughter in his voice.  
“Anything is possible,” Phil huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s what mum says at least.”  
“Maybe you guys could work together,” Dan’s dad suggests. “Dan, you could make sure the humans stay in line while Phil deals with the rest of the galaxy.”  
Phil nods violently, agreeing that it’s the perfect plan, but Dan rolls his eyes.  
“But Daaaaaaad,” he complains, mustering about as much sass as a seven year old can muster. “I don’t want to rule the universe when I’m older.”  
“Don’t yell at me,” his dad says, throwing his hands up in defense. “It was just a suggestion.”  
***  
That summer, Phil comes over every Saturday to join Dan and his dad’s stargazing sessions. Even though Phil is interrupting what is supposed to be father-son bonding time, Dan doesn’t mind. Phil always shows up right as it starts to get dark with a space joke at the ready.  
When Phil knocks on the Howell’s door at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday, Dan is more confused than he is surprised. He hasn’t known Phil very long, but Phil isn’t exactly a hard person to dissect.  
“It’s not Saturday, is it?” Dan asks, checking his watch.  
“Nope,” Phil giggles, popping the ‘p’. “Hey Dan, how does the Solar system hold up its pants?”  
“I don’t know, Phil.” Dan groans sarcastically. “How does the solar system hold up its pants?”  
“With an asteroid belt!” Phil burst into a fit of laughter, but Dan stays completely still, biting his lips to keep from laughing too.  
“Did you seriously come over here to tell me that joke?” he asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“I actually came over to ask if you wanted to play video games,” Phil says timidly, clasping his hands together behind his back.  
“Yeah,” Dan smiles. “That sounds fun.”  
***  
Dan and Phil grow even closer over the rest of the summer, spending every day together. Phil would go over to Dan’s in the late morning and spend all day there playing video games, watching movies, and, most importantly, looking at the stars.  
When school starts back, they aren’t sad that they’re going to different primary schools. Every waking moment that isn’t dedicated to schoolwork they spend together. Sometimes Phil would come over just to lie on Dan’s bed as he pours over his astronomy books, occasionally sprouting a random fact at Phil.  
That’s exactly what they’re doing the night before they start secondary school. Dan is hunched over his desk, plastering his schoolbooks with the constellation stickers Phil got him for his birthday, and Phil is lying on Dan’s bed, fiddling with one of Dan’s video game figurines that was on his nightstand.  
“Are you nervous?” Dan asks, spinning around in his desk chair to face Phil, who sits up a little when he hears Dan speak. “Because I feel like we should definitely be nervous. Like, there’s going to be so many older boys, and what if they’re mean to us? What will we do if–”  
“Dan,” Phil cuts him off. “There’s nothing to worry about. Think about it, how different will high school be from primary school? I’m willing to bet not much. Plus, we’re actually going to the same school this year, so you’ll have me to keep you company if you can’t make any other friends.”  
Phil lies back down, satisfied with his answer, but Dan is obviously not pleased. He stands up from his seat across the room and ambles towards the bed, flopping down on his stomach next to Phil.  
“You promise you won’t abandon me as soon as we get there?”  
Phil can hear the ever so slight quiver in Dan’s voice, and he can tell that Dan really is nervous for whatever reason. He holds out a hand, leaving his pinkie finger sticking out.  
“Pinkie promise.”  
Dan smiles, linking their fingers together and swinging them back and forth, thinking to himself: maybe we’ll be okay.  
***  
Not a month passes before Dan can’t wait to get out of there. It’s not that he hates the idea of school, it’s just the classwork doesn’t really interest him, and he doesn’t even have any of his classes with Phil to make up for it.  
They reconvene every day at lunch in front of the locker room. Phil usually pulls out an extra peanut butter sandwich for Dan because he knows those are his favourite, and they sit on their favourite bench in the library in silence while they eat, not saying a word except the quiet ‘thanks’ Dan mutters under his breath when he finishes his sandwich.  
Phil is usually the one to break the silence, and today is no exception.  
“Did your science teacher tell you about the field trip?” he asks, folding the paper bag that once contained his lunch. “The 9th grade class is going to the Planetarium in town and they still have extra places they need to fill.”  
“And?” Dan asks crudely, continuing to eat his sandwich.  
“And I was thinking we should go. We’ve never been and I know you’d enjoy it. Plus, you get to skip a day of school and spend it with me.” Phil pouts, gripping at Dan’s arms to grab his attention. “Please?”  
“You drive a hard bargain, Lester.” Dan picks Phil’s fingers away from his arm, watching the marks they left on his skin from holding on too tight slowly fade. “If it means that much to you, and you know I’ll have fun, I guess the answer is yes.”  
“Good, because I already signed us up.”  
***  
Dan and Phil sit near the front of the bus that escorts them from the school to the Planetarium, listening to Muse through shared earphones. Phil deems the 2nd law the only appropriate album to listen to while heading to a museum that is focused on space.  
They go on a pretty uneventful tour of the museum with their classmates, at least for Dan. The only highlight is when Phil gets to try a zero gravity simulator, and Dan smiles and watches from the sidelines.  
After lunch they’re given time to roam around, and Phil takes Dan by the elbow and leads him away from the group.  
“There’s something I want to show you!” he says giddily, tugging Dan through a set of double doors into a dark room.  
“What is this?” Dan asks, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.  
“Look up.”  
Dan looks towards the ceiling, drawing in a breath as he takes in the stars mapped on the ceiling. They shine like little lights above his head, only now, he can see all of them at the same time. There are no clouds to obstruct his view now.  
“My teacher told me about this place, since she knew I have an interest, but all I could think about was you when she was telling me about it,” Phil continues. “I knew you would like it.”  
“It’s incredible,” Dan whispers out of awe. The back of Phil’s hand brushes against his, and Dan doesn’t pull away. Phil laces their fingers together, and Dan says nothing.  
They stay silent, and Phil’s eyes wander from the starry ceiling to Dan, who has an expression of pure wonder on his face. Phil thinks he's beautiful.  
“Do you reckon you'll still get to be king of the universe one day?” Dan asks quietly, forcing himself to not look at Phil for fear of what his eyes might say.  
Phil smiles, squeezing Dan’s hand in lieu of answering him. He wants to tell Dan that it doesn’t matter if he becomes ‘king of the universe’ or not, as long as he has Dan by his side, he’ll be okay.  
Dan finally looks towards Phil, and his pupils seem to dilate. If it’s from moving away from the only source of light in the room or from looking at Phil, Phil can’t tell. Either way, he can’t help but feel entranced by Dan, and he instinctively leans in, his eyes fluttering shut.  
Unfortunately, his timing is terrible, as his watch goes off, signalling that their ‘alone time’ is over.  
Phil rips his hand away from Dan’s, his eyes widening with the realization of what just happened.  
“We need to get back,” he says, his voice quivering a little. “We can’t miss the bus back.”  
Dan’s knees are trembling as he watches Phil leave him, walking away at a quickened pace, like he is running away from Dan.  
“Phil! Wait up!” he calls, but to no avail, as Phil ignores him and keeps marching forward. Dan runs to catch up to him, slowing to a speedwalk as he passes Phil, their shoulders brushing ever so slightly.  
Once they rejoin the group, Dan and Phil board the bus, remaining silent the entire way home.  
***  
The silent treatment doesn’t last forever.  
At first, Dan is too afraid to talk to Phil at all. Holding Phil’s hand felt euphoric, it felt right to Dan, like they were meant to stay that way forever, but when Phil ripped his hand away, he felt more scared, like what they were doing wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.  
Afterward, it hurt. It hurt so much that he had to distance himself from his best friend for the safety of his broken heart.  
It hurts to see him every day when Dan starts to hang around Phil again. Whenever Phil is in close proximity, Dan’s heartbeat becomes erratic. Sometimes the hammering in his chest is too loud for him to focus on his surroundings, which is downright ridiculous.  
Get a grip, Dan, he thinks. You’re thirteen, this getting out of hand. Spending time with Phil isn’t the end of the world.  
And it isn’t the end of the world, not for a while anyways.  
Dan continues to act as normal as he can around Phil, and before he knows it, he’s acting as if the whole incident had never happened. Out of sight, out of mind.  
***  
It’s only when he’s eighteen he thinks about their day at the Planetarium again, when he realizes that Phil will be gone soon.  
After years of the stars being alive in Phil’s eyes, he’s finally getting the chance to see them up close like he had always dreamed. He’s been accepted into a prestigious American program that will train him for four years, and then find him employment as an astronaut.  
When he got the letter of acceptance, he immediately went to Dan without even opening it, so they could share the moment.  
He barges in without knocking, startling Dan enough to make him drop the cup of water he was holding.  
“Dan! I got a letter!” he bounds into the kitchen, the excitement on his face comparable to when he was a kid looking through a telescope for the first time.  
“A letter?” Dan questions. “You got accepted?”  
Phil rips the envelope open, nearly tearing his letter as he unfolds it excitedly. Dan moves to look over Phil’s shoulder, but it’s pointless as Phil clutches the letter to his chest.  
“I did!” Phil squeals, bouncing around the kitchen excitedly. “I’m going to America, and then space!”  
“That’s great!” Dan steps forward and hugs Phil, squeezing him in his arms like he might slip away at any moment. He’s happy his best friend is getting the chance to live his dreams, he truly is. It’s just that he’s going to attend university in London, and he knows that if Phil goes to America, they won’t have time for each other.  
Dan tries to not think about that. He still has two months with Phil before he leaves, and Dan’s determined to make the most of it.  
He and Phil spend every second together. Dan helps Phil go shopping for all the stuff he will need in America and even helps him pack. His heart breaks a little whenever Phil goes off about how excited he is to start over.  
The day Phil leaves, Dan joins the Lesters at the airport to see him off.  
He’s brought a small gift bag as a parting gift, and he really hopes Phil will like it. It’s only a few snacks for the plane ride and a T shirt Dan had custom made, but Dan knows it will mean the world to Phil.  
He pulls Phil aside just as he’s about to go through security.  
“I’ll miss you.” Dan whispers, clutching the gift to his chest.  
“I’ll miss you too.” Phil chuckles, pulling Dan into a hug. “Is this for me?” he taps the bag in Dan’s hands.  
“Yeah,” Dan nods, passing the bag over to Phil. He watches carefully as Phil opens the bag and unfolds the shirt.  
A bright grin spreads across Phil’s face. “Dan, this is perfect!”  
“You think so?” He asks shyly. Phil holds the shirt up to his chest, showing off the ‘King of the universe’ logo.  
“Of course I do! I think all the other astronauts will be jealous of me, since I claimed the title so long ago.” He looks at Dan, noticing that his eyes are glued to his shoes. He reaches under Dan’s chin and tilts his head up to meet his eyes. “Thank you so much, Dan, for everything, but I really have to go now.”  
Dan can’t get out any more words than a measly ‘goodbye’. He wants to confess his love for Phil, to scream it from the rooftops, but he doesn’t want to be reduced to a cliché of letting his emotions cut loose when his lover was leaving. It’s not like Dan would’ve been able to say anything as eloquent as Phil deserved, he would’ve probably just burst into tears.  
And as Dan watches Phil leave his field of vision, offering one final wave goodbye, he lets a tear roll down his cheek.  
***  
Dan pokes at his salad, disgusted by the taste of the soggy lettuce. He puts the lid back on the container and leans back in his chair. He’s sitting alone in the lunchroom in the bland office building he works in - minus the small cluster of secretaries that gossip over their meals. The walls are white and the people are boring, but two floors below him sit control panels and rooms lined wall to wall with machines that light up like Christmas trees day and night.  
He can’t really complain about his job, since he’s doing what he really loves. Ever since he was a kid he’s wanted to study the stars and now he works as an astrophysicist for the UK space agency. He’s living his dream, trying to decode the universe, and yet he isn’t happy.  
Dan supposes it’s because he doesn’t have any friends. He works Monday to Friday from 8 to 6 and when he finishes his day he goes home and curls up in front of the tv in his empty apartment with a spare room. It’s not like he hasn’t tried to get a social life, it’s just he has no time. He barely even interacts with his coworkers, as he’s usually holed up in his office.  
He’s about to get up and leave, to head back to his office and go back to his work, when someone puts a hand on his shoulder.  
“Hey Dan,” says some coworker Dan doesn’t even know the name of. He’s wearing a polo shirt with an embroidered logo on the collar, so Dan concludes he must work in some other branch of the building.  
“Hey,” Dan mumbles quietly. He wants this conversation to be over with before it really starts so he can get back to his work. “I was just about to leave.”  
“Oh, don’t worry!” the other man hushes, his grip on Dan’s shoulder getting just a slight bit firmer. “This will only take a minute.”  
“You have my full attention, then.” Dan turns in his chair to face the man, droning out the sounds of the ladies chattering excitedly a few metres away.  
“So, Dan,” he starts, gesturing excitedly with his hands. “My name is Stephen, and I work downstairs as a coordinator for the space program. Basically, I handle the astronauts’ schedules and all that business for them so they can focus on their jobs.  
“If you didn’t know already, we’re launching a mission in about a month's’ time, and we have some guys coming in from out of town to do some work here at the space centre before they leave. Now, we could put them up in hotel rooms, but we’re trying to organize a ‘buddy’ program so that each guest has someone to stay with for their time in London. Word on the street is you have a spare guest room, so I’d like to know if you’re interested.”  
Dan gives the man a questioning look. They want him to be an astronaut’s babysitter for a few months? Do the people on his floor really see him as that lonely that they’re trying to hook him up with a roommate?  
“The association will pay you, for groceries and things like that,” Stephen adds.  
Although he doesn’t want to admit it, Dan can’t find a reason to say no. Maybe he’ll even get a friend out of this experience.  
“I’ll do it,” he says firmly. There’s no turning back now.  
“Great.” Stephen smiles warmly, finally taking his arm off Dan’s shoulder and adjusting his suit jacket. “I’ll get your address from the system and we’ll bring someone over later tonight.”  
-  
Dan paces in front of his apartment door, running his hand through his hair that he didn’t have time to straighten.  
Stephen had called while he was in the shower to announce that he was on his way, so Dan just got dressed as quickly as possible. He threw on a t shirt and some jeans, since he expected that he would be needed to help bring all the guy’s stuff into his guest room.  
Shit, he thinks. He hasn’t checked the guest room to see if it’s clean. He should probably do that before it’s too late.  
He’s in the middle of making the bed when the doorbell rings.  
“Coming!” he calls, flattening out the edges of the blue duvet. He steps back and admires his handiwork, only now noticing how untidy the rest of the room is.  
This is as good as it’s gonna get, he thinks before trudging down his hallway, his feet dragging on the carpet as he walks.  
An all too cheery Stephen waits for him on the other side of the door and Dan couldn’t be any less thrilled.  
“Evening Dan!” he chirps, that bright smile never leaving his face. “How are you this evening?”  
“Not bad, you?” Dan peers around the door and notices Stephen is alone. “Weren’t you supposed to bring someone?”  
“Oh, he’s just getting something he forgot in the car. Don’t worry, he’ll be up in a minute.”  
Dan nods and steps aside, gesturing for Stephen to come in, but he just shakes his head no.  
“No, I won’t be staying, I’ll just introduce you to Phil and then I’ll be off and out of your hair.”  
Phil. Even years later, that name still strikes a nerve, but Dan represses the memories and smiles and nods at Stephen. He turns his head as he hears someone out of breath approaching.  
“Sorry about that,” the man apologizes, brushing his overgrown dark hair out of his eyes. “Hello Dan, nice to see you again.”  
Dan’s heart sinks when he recognizes who it is. This isn’t just some sick coincidence standing outside his apartment, this is Phil Lester, the boy he was in love with that basically dropped off the face of the earth. He wants to scream, to ask why they’re playing this joke on him, because he does not find it funny.  
Phil’s smiling at him like a day hasn’t passed since the times when they’d spend every second together, but Dan is glaring at him in disbelief. They don’t break eye contact and the air between them is so high-strung Stephen interrupts their staring contest to announce he’s leaving.  
“I guess I’ll leave you two to catch up then. See you tomorrow.”  
He rushes out of sight, leaving Dan and Phil alone in the hallway. Phil steps inside with his bags, closing the door behind him.  
“Do you mind showing me where the guest bedroom is?” Phil asks politely, but Dan isn’t having any of that fake attitude.  
“Are you going to pretend nothing happened?”  
Phil sighs, setting his suitcase down on the floor. “Let me put my stuff away. I’ll make us something to eat, then we can talk.”  
“Okay,” Dan huffs. “Guest bedroom is the door on the left at the end of the hall, kitchen is the first on the right.”  
“Thanks.” Phil pushes past him and Dan goes to sit in the lounge, alone with his thoughts.  
He sits on the sofa and listens to Phil rummaging through his kitchen, letting his mind drift off. He tries not to get too worked up about the situation, since he’s about thirty minutes away from getting an explanation. Instead of thinking about Phil, he plays with his fingers in his lap.  
“Food’s ready!”  
Dan looks up at the clock hanging on his wall and realizes thirty minutes have passed while he’s been lost in space.  
When he finally makes it to the kitchen, Phil is sitting at the table with a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine in front of him, a second setting across from him. Dan sits down and cuts into his food.  
They sit in silence, neither wanting to be the first to speak up.  
“You know,” Phil starts, putting down his fork and knife. “I didn’t mean to be such a prick.”  
Dan can tell that this conversation is one he doesn’t really want to have. He wants to stay mad at Phil, to accuse him of abandoning their friendship, but he knows Phil deserves a chance to explain himself. So he stops eating and listens, holding his hands together in his lap.  
Phil notices his change in posture and continues to speak, although hesitantly. “When I moved to America, I was so scared. I was just a kid, and while I felt smart here, over there I felt like I would get lost in a sea of other students that were just as smart, if not smarter. I put off replying to your messages and sending you letters for so long while I tried to pull ahead of the class, even though I really missed you and wanted to keep in touch with you. But by the time I felt like I could finally put some time into contacting you again and patching up our friendship, a year had passed. It seemed like it was too late, like you wouldn’t want to hear from me again.” Phil pauses to wipe his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Dan. You deserved better than that. You still deserve better than this. I’m only rooming with you because I saw you walk into the office building and I begged my supervisor to find a way to let me room with you.  
“I’m so scared Dan. I thought I could do this, but I’m doubting myself now. I just needed someone I know.” He breaks down into tears, burying his head in the table.  
Dan watches in awe, his mouth hanging open slightly.  
This must be a dream, he thinks, and he pinches himself just to be sure. Nope, not a dream.  
His heart is aching for his friend, even though he so desperately wants to be angry with him. His instinct is to crouch on the floor next to Phil and wrap an arm around him, to attempt to comfort him. So that’s exactly what he does.  
“C’mon, Phil,” he says quietly. “Let’s go sit on the couch. Dinner can wait until later.”  
“Okay,” Phil moans, leaning into Dan’s embrace. They stand up, and Dan practically carries Phil to the couch in the next room.  
“Why are you scared, Phil?” Dan asks, rubbing Phil’s back soothingly.  
“I’m scared of going into space,” he mumbles against Dan’s chest. “It’s so lonely up there… what if something happens to me? Or if something happens to someone I love down here and I miss it? There’s so many thing to be scared of, and I’m still going to space anyways. Oh Dan, what have I gotten myself into?”  
His sniffles have turned into full blown sobs now, and his breaths are short and shallow. Dan continues to rub small circles on his back and hum in attempt to calm him down. “Shh, Phil, it’s okay. No one has died in space, and I know you’re worried that you’re going to be the first one, but you can’t think like that, okay? Focus on what you need to do for the next few months and don’t worry about things that have a slim chance of happening? The Phil Lester I know was so excited about just the idea of being an astronaut that he couldn’t control himself and would blabber about it to random strangers we met at the grocery store. Now look at you! You’re living that dream, you should still be that excited kid you once were.”  
He pauses, realizing while he talked a lump had formed in his throat. “C’mon, let’s do something else to take your mind off things. I’ll help you unpack.”  
Phil nods into his chest, wiping away the few remaining tears from his cheeks. “Thank you, Dan,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”  
“You know, just the other week I was talking to my mum and she suggested I add some excitement to my life and now you come along! What a coincidence.”  
Phil giggles quietly, and Dan thinks it’s nice to see him smile. He stands up, pulling Phil to an upright position, and takes Phil by the hand. He grabs their plates from the kitchen table, then leads Phil to the guest room.  
Dan takes in the few possessions Phil has brought with him, seeing only a small suitcase and a backpack.  
“This is all you brought?” he asks.  
“This is all I own.”  
Oh. He thinks, picking up the suitcase and flipping it over to search for a zipper. When he finally opens the suitcase, he gazes at the stacks of neatly folded clothing that have been tossed around on their journey. There’s various jeans, sweaters, and sneakers, but one shirt in particular catches Dan’s eye. Even though half the message is hidden by another article of clothing, the bright blue lettering is unmistakeable.  
That’s the shirt he gave Phil when he left for university. He still has it, after all these years. Dan isn’t sure why, but he’s not too keen to ask about it either. He takes it from the pile, folding it neatly and placing it in a drawer.  
Phil’s sitting down on the bed, pulling various items out of his bag to place on the nightstand, when Dan decides to sit next to him.  
“Hey,” Phil murmurs, letting his fingers rest on his thighs instead of fidgeting with his glasses. “Is there something you wanted?”  
“No,” Dan replies, standing up again. “I just wanted to sit next to you. It’s so weird that I haven’t seen or heard from you in years and all of a sudden you show up at my front door, you know? I feel like I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”  
“Aw, Dan,” Phil says, shifting so that he’s facing Dan and his legs are crossed on the bed. “I still feel really bad about turning up out of the middle of nowhere. I want to do something for you, to make up for you being so kind to me.”  
“Like what?”  
“How about we go to dinner on Saturday? My treat?” Phil asks, his voice full of excitement.  
Dan nods eagerly. “That sounds nice.”  
“Sounds like a plan.”  
***  
Saturday night comes faster than Dan plans, and he’s stuck outside the bathroom, in desperate need to straighten his hair while Phil is hogging the shower. It isn’t long before Phil is marching out the door, sporting a crisp button up shirt and perfect hair.  
“Prick,” Dan murmurs, certain that Phil can’t hear him.  
“Dan, no need to call me a prick,” Phil tuts, flashing Dan a quick smile. “I know I’m pretty, you can call me that instead.”  
Dan groans, sure that he’s never hated anyone more in that moment. He quickly pushes past Phil and straightens his hair in record time.  
He leaves the bathroom ten minutes later, and Phil is sitting on the sofa, looking at something on his phone. He looks up when Dan enters the room, and Dan almost swears he can see Phil take a sharp breath.  
“You ready to go?” Phil asks, brushing off his jeans and holding out his arm.  
“Yeah, do I look okay?” Dan straightens his shirt, which won’t seem to stay where he wants it to.  
Phil giggles, taking Dan by the elbow and leading him out the front door. “You look great, Dan, now lock the door.”  
He stands behind Dan awkwardly while Dan fumbles with his keys, and when Dan turns around and slips the keys back into his pocket he smiles and gives Phil a thumbs up.  
“You should get a key for me, so you don’t have to drag me with you everywhere,” Phil points out, and Dan snorts.  
“I’ll add it to my to do list.” He chuckles, speeding up a bit to keep up with Phil. “Where are we going anyways?”  
“I found this Italian place on Google that’s right around the corner, only I don’t know if it’s any good or not.”  
Dan nods, trying to think of the restaurants near his house. They both walk in silence for a little longer, their hands brushing against each others as they swing their arms in between them.  
“This is the place.” Phil points at the sign on the other side of the street, which reads ‘Mozza’.  
“Mozza? As in mozzarella? Wow, these guys were original when coming up with the name.” Dan laughs at his own joke, but Phil just lightly punches his arm.  
“I’d like to see what better restaurant names you can come up with, Mr ‘I eat salad for lunch every day’.” Phil rolls his eyes, checking for oncoming traffic before crossing to the restaurant. He holds open the front door for Dan, letting his fingers roam over the small of his back as he guides him inside.  
“Reservation for Lester,” he tells the hostess confidently, leaning an arm on the table she’s standing behind.  
“Of course sir, follow me,” she says cheerily, taking two menus and leading them through the restaurant.  
Dan trails behind awkwardly, gazing around the restaurant. When they’re seated, he brings it up with Phil.  
“This place is so fancy, it even has chandeliers!” He looks around excitedly, taking in all the expensive décor.  
“I know,” Phil grins. “I saw pictures on their website and thought this would be a nice treat for you.”  
“Phil, you don’t have to pay for me. I’m happy to have you stay with me, but I’ll pay for myself.” Dan picks up the menu and begins sifting through the pages, cringing at the prices. “Yeah, you’re definitely not paying for me.”  
“Dan!” Phil chastises. “Stop looking at the prices and just figure out what you want, I’ll pay for it.” He looks back at his menu again before pointing a finger at Dan. “And no protesting.”  
“Fine,” Dan hums, looking back at the menu. When the waiter comes around and takes their order, Phil requests a bottle of wine for the table, and Dan orders a steak salad, much to Phil’s teasing.  
“I told you you only eat salad!” Dan blushes. He only ordered the salad because it was the cheapest full sized meal and he didn’t want Phil to spend so much money on him.  
“It’s not my fault I like to eat healthy and don’t immediately go for the carbs,” he teases, mocking Phil’s choice in pasta. Phil pouts at him and Dan wants to pull out a camera to capture the moment.  
He can’t help it, Phil’s too adorable to exist.  
Their wine arrives and they chat aimlessly over some of the people at work and the annoying habits they have. Dan feels like he’s back in high school, gossiping about the people he works with. He and Phil constantly judged some of their classmates back then and this doesn’t feel any different.  
He just feels so at ease talking with Phil again, it’s almost as if no time has passed since they stopped talking during university.  
They change topics multiple times, shifting from work to the weather to reminiscing on their teenage years.  
“Hey, remember when we took that field trip to the Planetarium?” Phil asks, his eyes lit up brightly.  
Dan gulps. He remembers that day very vividly, since it was the day he and Phil almost kissed. But he doesn’t know what Phil is referring to, so he just nods.  
“That was a fun day. I loved going on that zero gravity simulator, it made me feel like I really knew what I wanted to do.” Phil is smiling really widely, like he’s calling back a cherished memory. “And there was that room with the constellations on the ceiling. That was cool. And beautiful.”  
“Yeah,” Dan agrees, swirling the wine in his glass to distract him.  
“I wish we would’ve had more time there.”  
“Me too,” Dan hums, his heart hammering through his chest. He’s still fiddling with his wine glass, refusing to look at Phil.  
“You know, I had the biggest crush on you back then,” Phil says nonchalantly, and Dan’s world comes crashing down around him.  
“What?” Dan asks, snapping his head up to meet Phil’s eyes. They bore into his, like they’re challenging him. Only they still seem soft and uncertain.  
“Yeah, I remember my mum would tease me all the time about how in love with you I was for years. She called me a chicken when I went to university without telling you.”  
“Well she was right!” Dan yells. He can’t believe this is happening right now. Phil loves him. Or did love him. His childhood best friend that broke his heart at eighteen years old was in love with him. “If you were in love with me, why did you stop talking to me when you moved away?”  
“I was scared of how much I’d miss you, so I tried to distance myself. Turned out it made me miss you more, but that’s okay because we’re reunited now!”  
“No, it’s one hundred percent not okay,” Dan fumes, slamming his glass on the table. Phil jumps a little at the sudden burst of anger but Dan doesn’t care enough to calm down. “You left me. You broke my heart, and then showed up on my doorstep and you think this is all okay? You bring me to a fancy restaurant to tell me you were in love with me and you think it’s all fucking okay? Here’s a hint: I’m not fucking okay!”  
He grabs the napkin from his lap and puts it down on the table, not giving Phil the chance to make a comeback before storming out of the restaurant. He speed walks back to his apartment, locking the door behind him and sliding down against the wall to curl into a ball and cry.  
He lets his tears run down his cheeks, and blocks out the rest of the world.  
He stays there for what feels like hours, letting Phil’s words take over his mind. His body grows cold as he repeats the phrase ‘I had the biggest crush on you back then’ over and over.  
A knock on his door drags him away from his thoughts, and he knows exactly who it is banging on the door, waiting to be let in.  
“I don’t want to hear it, Phil,” he calls to the other side and he swears he hears an exaggerated sigh from Phil.  
“Dan, let me in,” Phil pleads, his voice muffled. “I have nowhere else to go. I don’t care if you don’t want to talk about this, you promised I could stay here so you can’t leave me out here alone.”  
Dan stands up from his position on the floor, opening the door enough to see Phil with his fist raised tentatively, as if he was about to knock again.  
“Fine,” he seethed. “Come in, but I’m going to my room and I don’t want you to follow me.”  
Dan throws the door open, keeping his gaze away from Phil’s face as he comes into view. He knows that one look into Phil’s eyes will make him go soft and ignore all the anger he’s currently experiencing. Once Phil has been let in, he retreats to his bedroom. There he can let his emotions show without being pestered by Phil for an apology.  
Whenever Dan is sad, he tends to burrow under the blankets and reminisce the happier times in his life. When his coworker got promoted instead of him, even though Dan knew he was far more worthy of it, he didn’t complain to his boss. Instead, he went home and looked over the pictures he had from when he was a kid and when he was only full of innocence. Phil appeared in some of those pictures too and even though Dan was heartbroken from the loss of contact with Phil, he never cut him out of the pictures, despite what teenage romcoms would suggest. Dan was never mad at Phil for losing touch, but every once in a while for several years he would be plagued with a deep sadness for a few days where he would just mourn his childhood best friend.  
Now, he’s actually mad at Phil. He can’t retreat into those happier days from their childhood without thinking of how Phil was in love with him.  
The thought won’t leave his mind, no matter how hard he tries to tune it out and think of other things, the little voice in his head chants about Phil’s love, over and over until any other thoughts in Dan’s head are overcome with thoughts of Phil. Years ago, Phil loved him, and he loved Phil, and neither of them did anything about it.  
I’m such an idiot, Dan thinks, running his hand through his hair. Seeing him again should’ve made me angry, but instead I’m sad. Is it because I’m mourning what we could have been? Back then we both had feelings for each other, and neither of us noticed or was brave enough to say them out loud. Did he harbour them for years like I did? Did he never really let go of them either?  
He gets up from his spot on the bed, throwing the covers onto the floor and paces along the length of the room. He doesn’t know where in the apartment Phil is, but he needs closure, and he needs it now.  
He throws open his bedroom door, jumping out of the way when Phil topples onto his side next to his feet.  
“What the fuck?! Were you just sitting there waiting for me to leave my room?” He asks, his voice a higher pitch than normal. If it’s from the surprise or the nervousness about what he’s going to ask Phil, he’s not sure.  
“Yeah,” Phil says, scratching the back of his neck as he gets to a standing position. “I wanted to be here to apologize as soon as you were ready to talk. I don’t want us to be on bad terms, Dan.”  
“I don’t either.”  
“Good,” Phil starts. “Listen Dan, you have every right to be mad at me. I fucked up by telling you my feelings from when I was a teenager without thinking about how doing that would affect you now. You didn’t deserve that, but I had to tell you my feelings for myself. I’m sorry.”  
“It’s fine, Phil,” Dan whispers without meaning to. “I liked you too back then and it hurt when you left and never kept in touch. But now I really need to know, did those feelings ever really go away?”  
“No.”  
That’s all Dan needs to hear. He reaches for Phil, grabbing hold of the hem of his shirt and pulling him closer. He presses their lips together, gently at first, like he’s testing the waters. Phil tastes like the wine they had earlier and orange tic tacs and it’s nothing like Dan expected and so comfortable he feels like he’s done it a million times before all at the same time.  
Phil bites down on Dan’s lip, causing him to gasp quietly, which Phil uses to his advantage as he pushes him against the wall, kissing him forcefully. He pushes their bodies close together and Dan can feel the heat radiating off Phil. He wants to stay like this forever, with his lips locked on Phil’s, but the lack of oxygen is starting to make him feel lightheaded.  
He pulls away, clasping his hands around Phil’s neck as he gasps for air. Phil presses their foreheads together, keeping his eyes closed.  
“Why haven’t we done that before?” Dan asks out of breath.  
“Because we were dumb stubborn teenagers,” Phil smirks, letting his hands skim the edges of Dan’s shirt. “Y’know, we could do more, if you want.” Dan nods towards his bedroom door.  
“I thought you’d never ask.”  
Phil pushes Dan into the bedroom, discarding his shirt as they go.Their bodies are pressed close together and the heat Dan is emitting makes Phil crave more, so he pushes Dan backwards, trying to get to the bed as soon as possible.  
Unsurprisingly, Phil trips over his own feet while he tries to slip off his shoes and even though Dan is laughing at him, when Phil looks up at him through his messy hair and thick lashes, Dan has never felt more attracted to him.  
They spend hours wrapped up in each other, their bodies moving in sync as a thin sheen of sweat coats their bodies. Dan doesn’t want it to end as he laces his fingers with Phil’s as he climaxes, Phil following shortly after. It takes a while for Dan to recover his breath enough to speak, but even then Phil beats him to it.  
“That was amazing,” he says, pulling Dan closer so his head is resting on his chest.  
“Mhm,” Dan hums, closing his eyes and relaxing into Phil’s touch. The last thing he feels before drifting off to sleep is Phil pushing his hair out of his eyes and kissing his forehead gently.  
“Goodnight.”  
***  
Dan wakes up the next morning with Phil’s arms around him. The sheets are a tangled mess and so are they, judging by how sweaty Dan feels. The sun is shining down on them, basking them in a warm glow, causing Dan’s insides to feel fuzzy.  
Phil is still out cold, his face pressed against Dan’s chest while he snores quietly, so Dan uses the opportunity to admire how he’s grown into his features.  
Phil’s hair is still jet black, just the way Dan remembers it from when they were young, only now it’s much shorter, and Dan can see his natural mousy brown roots peeking through if he pushes the fringe away from his face. His cheekbones are sharper, and they make his face look a lot slimmer, more hollow, than it used to; Dan can’t decide. He brushes his fingers over Phil’s arms, seeing the moles and sunspots that have begun to litter his body during his time abroad.  
He’s aged well, Dan thinks, pulling the sheets up to cover them both. He takes a peek at the alarm clock across the room, seeing 10:34 glaring back at him. It’s later than usual for a Sunday morning, since he tends to wake up early enough to do all the chores he’s neglected during the week so he can spend his evening mindlessly watching TV, but he’ll take this instead any day.  
Phil stirs, stretching his arms out and nearly hitting Dan in the face, instead grazing the side of his head with his hand.  
“Sorry,” he yawns, retracting his arm. He grabs the hand that’s been sitting on his shoulder and laces their fingers together. “This is nice.”  
“I’m inclined to agree,” Dan says. “If only we could stay like this all day, but I’m starting to get hungry. Usually I’ve eaten by now.”  
“I could make us some breakfast,” Phil offers. “You know how good my pancakes are.”  
“That sounds tempting but I don’t think I have any syrup to put on top and even though you’ll probably eat them plain I need the extra sweetness.”  
“You know me well,” Phil laughs. “Cereal works, too, I guess. It’s what we’ve been having all week anyways.”  
“I’ll buy some syrup so we can have pancakes later this week.” Dan pulls them up into a sitting position, the covers falling around at their hips. “I’ll go put the coffee on while you wake up, see you in the kitchen in five.”  
***  
Over breakfast, Dan asks a question that throws Phil for a loop.  
“What are we?”  
Phil pauses and thinks, letting his cereal go soggy while he tries to formulate an answer that makes sense, but in the end he can’t think of one.  
“I don’t know. What do you want to be?”  
“I don’t know,” Dan laughs at how the conversation is going nowhere, and he’s tempted to burst into One Direction and sing circles, we’re going in circles, but he doesn’t think the situation is appropriate. “How about we don’t be anything. We can just go with the flow and do whatever feels right. I just want you to be happy when you leave for six months.”  
“Sounds like a plan.”  
***  
They don’t act any different when they go to work on Monday, only now they kiss each other goodbye before they get out of the car and go their separate ways in the morning. Phil makes them lunch before they leave while Dan sets the TV up so they can watch reruns while they eat and Dan thinks it’s so horrendously domestic they must’ve been together for years instead of only a few days.  
They eat their matching lunches in the cafeteria and Stephen approaches them, taking the seat next to Dan.  
“Glad to see you guys getting along,” he says while patting Dan’s shoulder, causing a blush to rise to his cheeks.  
“It’s been lovely to have a place to stay with someone familiar,” Phil nods at Stephen. “Thanks for, erm, setting us up.”  
“Anytime man. You should be thanking Dan since he’s the one who opened his doors for you.” He winks at Dan, getting up to leave. “Don’t worry dude, you’ll have the place back to yourself in no time. Anyways, I gotta go, catch you guys later.”  
“Oh right.” Dan gulps. “You’re leaving again in three weeks.”  
“Yeah,” Phil agrees solemnly. He wants to reach out and grasp Dan’s hand to comfort him but he doesn’t know if that would be okay since they’re in a public place. “I promise I’ll keep in touch this time.”  
“You better,” Dan mumbles. He lifts his hand to his face and wipes his cheek. Phil can’t tell if he’s brushing away food or a tear.  
“You have permission to destroy me when I get back if I don’t.”  
“Good.”  
***  
“Want to watch a film?” Phil asks, seeing Dan sprawled out face first on the couch after a long day at work. “You look like you could use some relaxing.”  
“I don’t think I can, Phil,” Dan whines, his voice muffled by the couch cushions he’s pressed his face into. “I had some paperwork I started today but didn’t really get the chance to finish, so I should really work on it now so that it’s done for tomorrow.”  
He rolls onto his side like he’s going to get up but instead lets out a loud groan that echoes through the lounge.  
“Yeah, we’re definitely watching a movie,” Phil says, strolling over to Dan’s DVD collection. “How about a comedy?”  
“Not in the mood,” Dan mumbles. “How about a cartoon? I don’t really care which one, surprise me.”  
It takes Phil a few minutes to go through Dan’s collection and find something animated but eventually he finds his copy of Howl’s Moving Castle and slips it into the DVD player. He plops down on the couch next to Dan’s head, being careful enough to not disturb him before pressing play.  
Dan shuffles closer as the foggy image of the castle travelling across the screen appears and he rests his head on Phil’s lap, wrapping his arms around himself.  
Phil instinctively rests one of his hands on Dan’s back, the other stretched out on the arm of the couch. He kicks his legs up onto the coffee table, soothing Dan by stroking his hair when he lets out a groan.  
They watch the movie in silence, with the exception of Dan humming occasionally when Phil runs his fingers through his hair or rubs his shoulder. By the time the movie is over, Phil has draped a blanket over Dan, and he’s pretty sure Dan fell asleep in the first five minutes of the movie. His legs are numb as he closes his eyes, hoping to settle into a comfortable sleep, so he won’t be dozing off at work tomorrow.  
***  
“Y’know,” Phil says over coffee the next morning. “I think the place is looking a bit bare, don’t you feel?”  
“What do you mean?” Dan asks, trying to comb through his tangled hair with his fingers to no avail. He eventually decides that messing with it will only make it worse and he should deal with it later.  
“You have no decorations anywhere! When you were a kid you had posters and knick knacks and stickers all over your room and here you have nothing! Where’s the personality in this place?”  
“I guess I just never got around to it and then I forgot about it. I must’ve just grown out of that phase though… a bit too childish for an adult, don’t you think?”  
“It’s good to be a bit childish sometimes,” Phil argues. “Good for the brain.”  
“I guess I’ll get around to decorating sometime soon, then,” Dan hums. “Maybe I’ll use it as something to do while you’re gone, so when you get back you won’t complain about how ‘bare’ my place looks.”  
“I’d like that very much.” Phil walks around the counter to place a kiss on the top of Dan’s head since he’s hunched over. “I’m going to get ready, you’d better start soon otherwise we’re going to be late.”  
Half an hour before their shared lunch break, Phil sends Dan a text excusing himself from eating together, feigning a need to keep doing his morning work a little longer so it can be completed properly. He assures Dan that he’ll be ready to go home on time and Dan sends him a text reading ‘okay, see you then xx’.  
When he and his co workers are dismissed for lunch, he sneaks out of the building, being careful to not take any corridors Dan could be walking through. He walks over to the craft store a few blocks away and is immediately drawn in by the bright colours everywhere.  
“Can I help you?” A girl no older than sixteen with a bright blue apron and name tag that reads ‘Marie’ asks.  
“No, uh, I’m just browsing,” Phil stutters, smiling weakly at her.  
“Alright.” She smiles brightly. “I’ll be at the cash if you need anything.”  
“Thanks,” he nods, ducking into one of the nearby aisles. There’s stacks upon stacks of patterned paper and Phil can only assume this is the scrapbooking section. He peruses the shelves, looking for anything that might help him brighten up Dan’s apartment.  
He stumbles upon a row of sticker books, all hung up and ready for his eyes to feast on. There are ones with stars and planets, ones with leaves and plants, and even ones that claim to glow in the dark. He grabs several packages and heads to the till, stopping to pick up a few more things on his way before he gets to the cash.  
After work, he walks with Dan to the car, the items he bought concealed in a backpack that looks suspiciously bulky, but it slips Dan’s notice.  
“So did everything go okay this morning?”  
“What?” Phil asks, momentarily forgetting his lie. “Oh yeah, we ended up finishing it just as your lunch break ended, otherwise I would’ve joined you for a bit.”  
“At least I have you to myself for the entire evening,” Dan grins. “And,” he pauses for dramatic effect, “I have pizza in the freezer. We are going to party tonight.”  
“Sounds thrilling,” Phil giggles, opening the passenger side door and throwing his bag in the backseat. “I have a surprise for you, too.”  
Dan gasps excitedly, turning his head to look at Phil as he starts the engine.  
“But I’ll only tell you what it is later.”  
Dan’s face falls, and he sticks out his bottom lip into a pout, causing Phil to giggle. “Fine, you fun ruiner.”  
As punishment, he plays Kanye on full blast and raps along the entire way home.  
***  
After the frozen pizza has been cooked until the edges are slightly burnt (‘that’s the best way to eat it!’ Dan argued), they’re sitting on the floor in the lounge scoffing down slice after slice until Phil feels like the seams of his jeans might split open at any moment.  
“So,” Dan says between slices of pizza. “When’re you going to show me that surprise you have?”  
“When you’re done eating.” Phil passes over a sheet of paper towel. “Here, you have sauce on your face.”  
“Thanks.” Dan takes it, laughing. He wipes the sauce off his cheek and sets down the slice of pizza he’s holding, using the paper towel to wipe the grease off his hands. “I’m done, can you show me now?”  
“Geez, someone’s impatient,” Phil laughs, getting up from his spot on the floor. “I’ll be back in a minute.”  
Dan fidgets in his seat, drumming his fingers on the coffee table and listening to Phil ruffle through the items in the entrance.  
“Okay, close your eyes while I set everything up,” he hears Phil say from behind. He reluctantly obeys, forcing himself to keep his eyes shut while Phil places various objects on the table. He hears a loud thud and a yelping noise as Phil presumably drops something on his foot.  
“You klutz,” Dan mutters, his voice soft and containing no real malice.  
“Shush. It’s ready.”  
He opens his eyes, seeing the various packages spread out on the table. Most of them appear to be sheets of stickers, but there are a few other things that catch Dan’s eye, like bottles of paint and glitter glue.  
“What is all this?” he laughs, watching as Phil’s face stretches into a grin.  
“You know how this morning I said the place looked bare? I thought we could decorate it together, so during my lunch break I went and got all this stuff for us to do.”  
“I knew you weren’t working during your break! You seemed too suspicious for that to be true.”  
“Well, you caught me. I did it all in the name of crafts.”  
“Don’t you think it’s a bit childish to be doing crafts on a Thursday night?”  
“Yeah, but I say we do it anyways,” Phil grins. “Plus, anything immediately becomes an adult activity if you add a glass of wine. Do you want any?”  
“Mhm,” Dan nods, picking up a pile of wooden decals and browsing through them, noticing a ‘D’, a ‘P’, and an ampersand among twenty different stars and hearts. He smiles sheepishly thinking about how they’re going to look.  
“I’m back,” Phil sings as he enters the room, setting down the armful of supplies he’s carrying. “I just brought the bottle so we don’t need to go to the kitchen for refills.”  
“Smart thinking.” Dan holds up the wooden letters. “Are we going to be painting these?”  
“Yeah, unless you have a different idea of what to do with them,” Phil shrugs, handing Dan a glass of wine.  
“We should definitely paint them, although they might not turn out that nice.”  
“It’s worth giving it a shot.”  
The evening is spent sloppily painting the decals, trying to compromise on a colour scheme, since Dan refuses to give up his monochrome aesthetic and Phil thinks the place could use a dash of colour. They eventually decide on going half and half, so that they both have a shot at their individual styles.  
The only exception is the ampersand, which Phil insists should be a joint effort, since it has to match with the ‘D’ that Dan painted black with silver and gold glitter glue and the ‘P’ that Phil painted a swirl of blue and pink that has twisted vines and leaves layered overtop.  
“I think it should be grey and yellow,” Dan hums. “Dull enough for me, and bright enough for you all at the same time.”  
Phil smiles warmly. “I like it.”  
Once all the painting is done and is set out to dry, Phil goes on a sticker rampage, putting kittens on doors, planets on the jar of strawberry jam and woodland creatures on the fridge handle. Dan checks every ten minutes to see if the decals have dried, and as soon as they have, they prop them up on a shelf in the entryway so that they’re the first things people will see upon entering the apartment.  
They step back, admiring their handiwork when Phil slips his hand into Dan’s. “It looks like we’re building a home.”  
And maybe they are.  
***  
Two weeks later, Dan is sprawled out on Phil’s bed, watching him gather up various possessions to put in the tiny duffle he’s allowed to bring with him on his mission.  
“So you’re saying that’s all you’re allowed to bring with you? And you’re not allowed to wash them the whole time you’re there?”  
“Nope,” Phil says, folding a polo with a logo embroidered on the pocket and placing it carefully in the bag. “We’re all gonna smell pretty terrible for a while.”  
“I’ll bring you fresh clothes and deodorant when you land then,” Dan huffs, crossing his arms. “Can’t have you smelling too bad when I hug you and don’t let go for a million years.”  
“At least you won’t be able to smell me when we’re on skype.”  
“I’ll be saved!” Dan laughs. “How often will I get to skype you again?”  
“Once or twice a week? They said it’ll depend on how much work we get done but I should be able to divide it up so you’ll hear from me as often as possible.”  
“Good.” Dan reaches out and grabs the hem of Phil’s shirt, pulling him onto the bed and into his arms. “I’m going to miss you so much.”  
“I’m going to miss you, too.” Phil places a gentle kiss on Dan’s exposed collarbone.  
“I feel like I just got you back and now I’m going to lose you again.”  
“You won’t,” Phil promises, lifting his head off Dan’s chest so he can look him in the eyes. “I swear I’m coming back to you this time.”  
Dan hopes with all his heart that Phil’s words are true.  
***  
The next few days are a flurry to Dan. Phil leaves for camp on sunday, where he’s meant to be doing final training exercises up north before he leaves, and as much as Dan wants to accompany him, he still has work to do in London, though he has been granted a few days up to travel and see the shuttle take off.  
The goodbye isn’t as emotional as Dan had originally thought it would be. Phil kisses Dan goodbye in the car before jumping out and boarding a bus with the five other astronauts he will be doing his mission with. Dan waves out the window as the bus leaves the parking lot even though he knows Phil can’t see him through the tinted glass of the bus.  
He’s at work much too early and Dan hopes that this means he’ll be able to sneak off early and mope at home.  
He stops by the kitchen on his way up to his office, hoping that it’ll be empty and he can grab a cup of coffee in peace since he was up all night worried about how it was his last night with Phil for several months.  
He has no such luck as co-worker Stephen is standing in front of a coffee machine making himself an espresso when Dan pushes open the large double doors.  
“Hey!” he calls, far too giddy for six thirty AM. “Dan! How’ve you been?”  
“I’ve been fine,” Dan states flatly, walking past him to grab a mug from the cupboard. He hopes that his tone implies he’s not in the mood for a chat, but Stephen doesn’t get the hint.  
“You look tired,” he comments, taking the mug from Dan’s hand and setting his own drink down on a nearby table. “Sit down, I’ll make you a drink.”  
“Thanks,” Dan mutters, reluctantly sitting down in the chair closest to him. “Two creams please.”  
“No problem.”  
They remain silent while Stephen fixes the coffee, except Dan’s brain is screaming at him about how much he doesn’t want to be here. All he wants is to be alone in his office and immerse himself in work for the rest of the day so he can forget about how Phil won’t be there waiting for him in the lobby at the end of the day.  
His thoughts are interrupted by Stephen passing him a steaming mug of coffee while he slips into the chair across from Dan.  
“So, Phil left for the camp today right?”  
“Yep.” Dan takes a long sip of his drink, trying not to think too much of Phil.  
“Are you glad to have your place back to yourself?” Stephen persists, even though Dan is obviously not interested in the conversation.  
“I’m not sure yet,” Dan hums, putting down his mug. “I think I’ll miss his company.”  
“Really?” Stephen looks shocked. “When he said he wanted to stay with you he was half sure you would change your mind as soon as you saw him. He said he thought you would hate him.”  
“Yeah, well, things change,” Dan spits. “I’m not an immature teenager anymore, and I know how to patch up a lost friendship.”  
With that, he gathers his things, takes the mug from the table and storms out of the kitchen.  
***  
The week crawls by, as Dan spends it holed up in his office, and when he gets home he eats supper and heads straight to bed.  
He hears from Phil a few times a day, receiving text messages that contain long winded stories about weird coincidences that only Phil could provide. Although Dan appreciates that he’s still hearing from Phil, the text messages are a poor substitute for actually hearing his voice, so Dan tries to imagine Phil telling him about his day over dinner instead of the reality of Phil sitting in a cafeteria full of other astronauts typing away furiously at his phone.  
It isn’t until he gets a text from Phil saying that he’ll get to see him the morning and night before he leaves that Dan feels his mood lift. Suddenly he’s looking forward to the end of the week more than he was on Monday.  
On Friday morning he bounds out of bed before his alarm even rings. It’s rare that he musters enough strength to roll out of bed after his alarm goes off the second time. Making it a small miracle that he pulls off this feat without collapsing to the floor, since he didn’t let the blood circulate to his legs like he usually does. He texts Phil about his victory, expressing his excitement about the day:  
I literally just jumped out of bed and didn’t fall over, are you proud? (14 more hours til i see you again!!!)  
He throws his phone on the bed, not expecting a reply for at least a few hours, and takes a long shower, letting his mind drift to fantasies of the one he and Phil would hopefully be taking together later that day.  
He decides to forego straightening his hair. He knows Phil has been fond of his soft curls since they were young, and he wants to look his best for Phil (even if he doesn’t agree with him).  
The work day goes by suspiciously fast, with each task seemingly completed just minutes after it was started. Dan shrugs it off as his excitement causing the time to go faster, but he secretly thinks he’s just working faster in hopes that he can leave early and catch an earlier train.  
No one on his floor knows that he’s going to visit the camp tonight, although Dan thinks Stephen might be suspicious, so he tries to contain his excitement and act as normal as possible. He’s prepared an excuse already, of course. If anyone asks, he’s just going to say that he’s using Phil as an opportunity to see a shuttle take off from the location instead of just on TV.  
His plan ends up working out and he finishes his day’s quota of work by 2:30. He hurries home, driving slightly over the speed limit and running up the stairs so he can grab the duffel bag he left next to the door and hurry to catch the next train.  
He ends up barely making the train, taking a seat less than one minute before the doors close, and he exhales a sigh of relief, opening his phone to check his texts.  
Unsurprisingly, Phil hasn’t sent him any messages since he last checked, so he just quickly types out a notice that he’ll be arriving up North in a few hours and he can’t wait to see Phil.  
He sets his phone down and with nothing to do, he lets the clicking noises of the train tracks lull him to sleep.  
When he wakes up he’s ten minutes from his destination, so he stares out the window, watching the English Countryside fly by him. They pull into the station, and he gathers his bags and hails a taxi to his hotel, where he’ll still sleep alone tonight.  
It’s only five and he knows he’s not going to be able to see Phil until at least seven, which is a bit disheartening. He busies himself with going to town, buying some food to settle his rumbling stomach and some flowers to bring to Phil later.  
When he’s certain he’s good for time, he takes a taxi over to the camp and signs in as part of Phil’s allotted group of guests. He’s told to wait in a room with plain, white walls, where several other people are already seated.  
He fidgets in his seat, picking at the stray leaves on the bouquet he’s holding.The scene almost reminds him of when Phil was leaving for America when they were eighteen. He was nervously fiddling with the farewell gift he had for Phil then, and he snickers at how similar the situation is now.  
Phil’s unmistakably cheery ‘hello’ jolts him out of his thoughts, and he bounds out of his seat to greet him. He holds open his arms for a hug before realizing where they are and retracting his arms in embarassment. Phil notices and squeezes him to his chest anyways.  
“I missed you,” Phil mumbles against his ear.  
“I missed you too.” Dan slips his arms around Phil’s waist, trying to pull him in even closer so that it’ll be harder to let go.  
They pull away when someone behind them coughs, and Phil grabs Dan’s arm, pulling him away from the waiting room. “Come, let’s go somewhere more private.”  
***  
Dan cries when he has to go back to the hotel, even though Phil assures him that they’ll get to see each other one more time before he leaves.  
He cries the next morning, when he has ten minutes to see Phil before he won’t see him for months. Phil’s parents are there and they don’t cry when they say goodbye. Or at least they claim they don’t, but Dan sees the watery eyes they’re sporting as they turn to leave.  
Dan’s eyes aren’t dry the entire time that he’s with Phil. He tries not to cry on Phil’s shirt, but he does anyways. When Phil pulls him in for one final kiss, he forgets all the reasons he’s upset, but he’s brutally reminded when Phil pulls away and he can feel how wet his tear stained cheeks are.  
Phil’s mum holds his hand while they watch the shuttle take off and he squeezes her hand for support, since he can only imagine how difficult this must be for her. They take him out for dinner and Mum grills him about Phil, asking how he’s been doing in London.  
Although Dan feels a bit intimidated by her questions, the way she hugs him goodbye makes him melt inside.  
“I’m so glad you two finally sorted everything out,” she says, holding Dan close. “You seem to make each other very happy.”  
Dan’s blinking tears from his eyes as he thanks her, and he turns and leaves before she can see him crying for the third time that day.  
***  
A week with Phil gone and Dan is starting to realize how big his apartment actually is.  
When he signed the lease, he had the intent of getting a roommate to fill the empty space but he found that the extra space didn’t enhance his loneliness like he thought it would. Instead, he grew used to all the empty space, furnished the spare room and let it collect dust.  
Then Phil came along, interrupting the cycle of emptiness that came with having too much space. Now that the spare room had been filled, Dan could sense the way his place seemed bigger than it used to. Instead of being filled with Phil’s laughter and bright energy, Dan’s apartment, and his life, are filled with long silences and coldness.  
It is rough for Dan, but he hangs up a framed picture of Phil and promises himself he will get through this.  
***  
One of the rules that Phil and the others have to follow is that they aren’t allowed to contact anyone from home for the first week of their mission, to allow themselves the chance to adjust to the changes that come with being in a spacecraft.  
The only news Dan receives about Phil are from officials, broadcasting the news of a safe departure. It’s not enough for him to sleep soundly at night, though.  
He knows he looks worse for wear when he goes into work on Thursday morning and all he can hope is that no one notices and tries to ask him what’s wrong.  
He almost makes it through the whole day without being confronted but as he’s about to leave the office half an hour early, Stephen steps in front of him, blocking the way.  
“Hey Dan,” he says, ushering Dan into his office. “I’d like to talk to you about something, it’ll only take a few minutes, I promise.”  
Dan reluctantly follows him into the office, taking a seat on one of the chairs he has in the room.  
“Hey Stephen...What’s up?” Dan tries, realizing too late that he’s probably not helping cut the conversation short with awkward small talk.  
“Let’s cut the crap, Dan.”  
Dan gulps as Stephen sits down behind his desk, folding his arms in front of him.  
“Have I done something wrong?”  
“What? No,” Stephen shakes his head. “Something’s up with you, you look tired and...sadder.”  
“There’s nothing wrong.” Dan stands up, ready to leave immediately. He doesn’t want to have this conversation now, or ever.  
“Please, stay.” Stephen insists. “I know we’re not really friends but I still want to help you. Tell me what’s going on.”  
Dan fidgets, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s reluctant to speak, but Stephen’s eyes boring into him finally break him.  
“If you really must know,” Dan huffs. “I’m just missing someone right now, ok? Are you satisfied now? Can I leave?”  
“Is it Phil?”  
Dan is caught off guard by Stephen’s suggestion even though it’s a completely logical guess.  
“What? No,” Dan tries to deny but Stephen just grabs his arm and looks him dead in the eyes.  
“Listen, Dan, it’s okay that you miss him. I’ve seen your exact case happen before and everyone has always made it through to the other side unscathed. While he’s gone it’ll feel long, but if you push through it, everything will be great again.”  
“Thanks,” Dan nods, unsure of what to do.  
“My one piece of advice,” Stephen says, releasing him, “is that you don’t keep whatever you’re feeling bottled up. If you need a friend to vent to or even just keep you company, my door is always open.”  
With that, Dan gets up and leaves, thanking Stephen again and feeling a little bit brighter.  
***  
The first skype call is two weeks into the journey.  
It’s 7:30 PM and Dan is sitting anxiously in front of his computer, nothing but the dim desk lamp to light the room. He hasn’t eaten supper yet, since he’s too anxious and impatient to actually sit still and wait for his food to cook, so he has a microwave dinner sitting on his desk and ready to eat later.  
He only has half an hour, even though he feels like he’s going to need six times that amount, so he prepared a list of topics to make sure he makes the most of his time.  
The call should be coming any second now, he thinks, twiddling with his fingers. He opens his webcam to adjust his hair, ignoring how prominent the shadows under his eyes are in this lighting.  
He hears the familiar jingle of an incoming call and he takes a deep breath before pressing ‘accept’.  
Phil’s face appears, pixelated beyond belief, but still there. His prominent features like his thick eyelashes and pointed nose are still visible, and that’s enough for Dan.  
“Hello!” he chirps, waving at Dan.  
“Hi,” Dan smiles, letting the warm feeling in his chest consume him. He never knew someone could have such an effect on him that just seeing their face or hearing their voice calmed all his nerves. “I miss you.”  
He doesn’t intentionally say it, the words just kind of come out on their own accord, but he means them and spoke from the heart, so Phil smiles.  
“I miss you too,” he says. “It’s so weird here, none of the other guys know anything about Buffy, so who am I supposed to rant to?”  
“You can write it all down and tell me all the new theories you came up with when you get back,” Dan suggests, though the reminder that it’ll be a long time before they’re together again makes his heart sink a little. He slumps down into his desk chair, trying to not let Phil read his emotions.  
Phil notices anyways, his eyebrows furrowing together.  
“Hey, do you want to see something?” he asks and without waiting for Dan to answer tilts the screen to show the view out the window.  
The stars glittering down below and the view of the vast oceans causes Dan’s heart to stop momentarily. He audibly gasps and his eyes widen like he’s trying to drink in more of the galaxy. He’s seen pictures like this, sure, but knowing Phil gets to witness it through his own eyes instead of a lens makes him incredibly jealous.  
“You seem stunned,” Phil laughs, tilting the screen back to him. “You’re here to see me, remember?”  
“Yeah, I know,” he says, “It was just so beautiful I couldn’t resist.”  
“Aren’t I so beautiful you can’t resist?”  
“Of course you are,” Dan smiles fondly, watching Phil biting his lip like he’s holding back laughter.  
“I have something else to show you,” Phil says, tugging at the zipper of his jacket. He pulls the zipper down and discards the jacket, revealing the t shirt from so many years ago. “Surprise.”  
“I can’t believe you,” Dan says, tears springing to his eyes. “You actually brought it with you to actual space? That’s unbelievable.”  
“I guess you could say I’m,” Phil pauses for dramatic effect, “out of this world.”  
“Ugh, I can’t believe you just said that,” Dan groans, although he’s smiling anyways. “Get out. Except not really cause you’d die.”  
“Wow, thanks for the friendly reminder,” Phil laughs. “A funny thing happened today when we were doing an experiment…”  
He launches into a story about how one of the others was causing mischief in the labs, taking up the better part of their time together. Dan doesn’t mind, though, any chance to hear Phil’s voice is enough for him.  
Dan clings onto the last few minutes of their time together, wishing there could be more.  
The last thing Phil tells him is to buy a houseplant so a little bit of him stays in the apartment, and Dan promises he will, pretending to catch the kiss Phil blows towards him before the screen goes black.  
***  
Stephen comes to visit Dan every once in awhile.  
It’s never more than a few minutes of small chat in the kitchen or Dan’s office, but one day he suggests they go out for drinks, and Dan really doesn’t have an excuse to say no, so he agrees.  
Stephen drives by his place at 8, wearing a beat up tee and jeans, a contrast to Dan’s half casual half semiformal outfit he assembled at the last minute. He feels too dressed, and when Stephen jokes that he looks like he didn’t even change after work, he feels even more conscious and fiddles with his fingers the entire ride there.  
They pull into the parking lot of a sports bar, and Dan looks at Stephen quizzically, raising an eyebrow.  
“You like football?” Stephen asks, unbuckling his seat belt. “There’s a game tonight. It’s cool if you don’t though, the guys only really pay half attention to what’s happening on the TV and spend most of the night focused on getting shitfaced and scarfing down buffalo wings. It’s truly a great time.”  
Dan shrugs and follows Stephen’s lead, mentally preparing himself for the night to come.  
The bar is loud and rowdy when they walk in, and a group of six or seven guys in the corner of the room holler Stephen’s name.  
“Hey guys!” he yells back, walking up to the bartender. “I’ll be right there.”  
He turns to Dan. “Beer’s good, yeah?” and before waiting for Dan to reply, he asks the bartender for two pints.  
“You didn’t have to do that,” Dan mumbles, still loud enough to be heard. “I’ll pay you back later.”  
“Oh don’t bother,” Stephen assures. “First one’s on me, if you want more, buy it yourself.”  
Dan takes the mug of beer from the bartender and follows Stephen to the table in the corner of the room.  
“So this is the friend you told us was coming?” a guy with a bushy beard asks. “Dan, right?”  
“Yeah,” he answers, a bit stunned Stephen called him his friend.  
“Well take a seat then,” one of the other guys, wearing a full suit, pulls out a chair for Dan, and he gratefully sits down. The other guys launch into conversation, about work, their families, sports. Dan doesn’t contribute much at first but he gradually warms up to all the eccentric personalities at the table.  
At the end of the night, he feels warm and fuzzy from the alcohol and laughter, and when Stephen asks if he’d like to come again sometime, Dan says yes.  
***  
Weeks go by and Dan is stuck in the same routine. Go to work, avoid awkward conversations, go home, think about Phil, Skype Phil, and so on. Time is going by so slowly, and when Phil tells him their skype time would be cut down even further since the team needs to focus more on the experiments they are doing, time manages to slow down even more.  
The days are long, and the nights are cold and empty. He keeps finding new shows he wants to watch, but decides against watching them so he can save the experience of watching them for when he’s with Phil.  
At least Phil had been right about one thing, the miniature houseplant Dan bought sits on his coffee table and reminds Dan of Phil in the family garden they used to play in as children. It’s not much of a comfort, but it’s better than none.  
***  
Four months into his time alone, he’s sitting in a meeting, listening to a coworker drone on and on about his project ideas and why he deserves the grant money. He resists the urge to yawn, since he’s heard of this project countless times and knows the poor guy will get rejected. He’s here to present his own project too, of course, but he’s already gotten his request approved and is only making this presentation for the sake of formality.  
His phone is sitting on the table on vibrate, just in case. The bosses he works for aren’t particularly against it but they did give him wary looks when he pulled it out.  
Who cares, he thinks, ignoring the glares he gets when he checks the time left before he can go up and give his presentation. A skype notification is sitting there, reading new message from Phil Lester.  
He hastily swipes open his Phone, reading the message:  
Can you skype me as soon as you have a break? It’s kind of important but don’t rush too much.  
His mind races in a million different directions after reading ‘kind of important’, so he jumps out of his chair, immediately excusing himself and rushing to the nearest place where he can have peace and quiet, which just so happens to be the men’s bathroom.  
He locks himself in one of the stalls and starts a video call with Phil, his heart hammering in his chest with each ring.  
Pick up, pick up…  
The ringing stops and is replaced by Phil, pixelated and smiling, with a cast on his arm and a sling over his shoulder.  
“Phil!” Dan exclaims, exasperated. “What happened?”  
“Yeah,” Phil laughs, his cheeks turning pink, “I might have accidentally smashed into a wall while doing an anti gravity race and now I have a broken arm.”  
“Phil.”  
“Haha, whoops!” He laughs, attempting to shrug his shoulders but shrugging off the sling in the process. “Don’t get too worried by the way, it’s not a big deal.”  
“What do you mean it’s not a big deal, Phil? You have a broken arm, can you even work with that thing?”  
“No, I’m off duty for a few weeks until it’s mostly healed.” He keeps smiling, obviously not too disappointed with his predicament. “Besides, I get to practice being a househusband in the meantime, isn’t that right, Michelle?”  
A woman with short, brown hair floats into the background.  
“He could use a bit of work,” she admits in a thick Australian accent. “But he’ll be a pro at washing dishes in no time.”  
“Hey!” Phil protests, giving her a glare.  
“S’true. There was still melted cheese on my plate during breakfast this morning.” She turns to the camera, eyeing Dan. “So you’re that boyfriend he won’t stop talking about?”  
“Yeah, I suppose,” Dan blushes.  
“Well you’ve snagged a great guy, Phil’s the funniest on the ship. I’d stay and chat but I just came here to get Phil because they’ve asked for him in the kitchen.”  
“Noooo,” Phil complains, scrunching his eyes shut. Michelle crosses her arms and looks at him pointedly. “Alright, I’ll be there in five, now get out so I can say goodbye!”  
“Fine, but I’m timing you.” She turns like she’s about to leave when she remembers Dan. “Nice to meet you!” She waves before leaving the room.  
Phil waits until the door shuts again, leaning his head on the hand of his uninjured arm.  
“You sure you’ll be okay?” Dan asks, worry still present at the edge of his voice.  
“Yes, yes, I’ll be fine,” Phil assures him. “If anything I’ll die of boredom.”  
Dan frowns, “You can pick up a new skill, like learning to play the one handed spoons.”  
“I think everyone would hate me if I picked that up. I’ll think of something else to do.” He checks his watch, eyes flickering between Dan and the time. “I should get going, you be good, alright?”  
“Yes Dad,” Dan rolls his eyes, but his voice is fond. “You be good, too.”  
“I will,” Phil grins mock saluting Dan. “Until next time, over and out!”  
***  
A week later when they skype again, Dan learns that Phil’s been learning to draw in his spare time and he’s been using Dan as a model (but he refuses to show any of said drawings, claiming they aren’t good enough yet).  
With Phil being off duty, the skype sessions become much more frequent, sometimes even two or three times a week.  
Time begins to move faster for Dan, and between being engrossed in his new project and skyping Phil every other day, the two months that remain of Phil’s trip pass by in the blink of an eye, and he’s saying goodbye to Phil for the last time before he’ll see him again in person.  
He’s made plans with Phil’s parents to drive out to Glasgow on Friday and spend the weekend sightseeing before the landing on Monday, and when they leave Phil’s mum sits next to him in the backseat, squeezing his knee and whispering ‘72 hours’.  
The sightseeing is a nice distraction, all of the castles and architecture make him momentarily forget how jittery he is about finally being able to have Phil in his arms again.  
The weekend is a blur, and Monday comes, leading Dan and Phil’s parents out to a field in seemingly the middle of nowhere.  
Dan has a backpack filled with essentials slung over his shoulder, including chocolate, his 3DS, and a set of spare clothes for Phil (they’re actually Dan’s, but only by technicality).  
They gather behind a tape with a bunch of other families, eyeing the precautionary ambulances and the stations set up in various areas. It takes hours before anything happens, but when it does, it’s unmissable.  
To anyone who didn’t know a space station pod was returning, the scene would look just like a skydiver finishing their descent. From far away, everything looks quite calm and controlled rather than the high energy mess movies lead Dan to believe.  
When it hits the ground, there are people rushing towards it all at once, crowding around the pod and escorting the astronauts out.  
Dan watches as they get brought to where their sleeping bags are, knowing they’ll stay there until they’ve been cleared by one of the doctors on standby. He even sees one being brought to the ambulance, and his heart skips a beat before he reminds himself that there’s a chance it isn’t Phil.  
Ten minutes pass before the families waiting behind the tape are allowed to go see their loved ones, and upon arriving at the scene and seeing Phil absent from the group of people nestled in cocoons of blankets, he stops in his tracks, causing Mum to run into him from behind.  
A man in uniform approaches them when he sees them standing away from the others, who have joined the astronauts they were here to see.  
“Are you Phil Lester’s family?” he asks, sighing when he sees Dan nodding furiously. “The other passengers said he was unconscious during part of the descent, so he’s been brought to the hospital as a precaution since we think he might have obtained a concussion. I’ll hail you guys a taxi so you can go visit him.”  
Dan holds Mum’s hand in the back of the taxi, anxiety flooding through his veins as they approach the hospital. He taps his foot nervously against his leg, and Mum grips his thigh to calm him down.  
“He’ll be okay,” she assures with shiny eyes.  
Dan is trembling with anxiety when they arrive at the hospital, throwing open the cab door and running towards the emergency room.  
They burst through the door, Dan breathlessly calling out Phil’s name. His heart is pounding in his chest, waiting for someone to fill him in.  
A nurse comes and brings them to Phil’s room, explaining that they gave him some medicine that caused him to be knocked out, but otherwise he’ll be fine after a few days in the hospital.  
Dan exhales a sigh of relief when he goes into the room, seeing Phil for the first time in forever. He looks so aged as he lies there in the hospital bed, wires connected to his arms and his brows furrowed together, but he looks peaceful nonetheless. He steps aside as Phil’s parents rush to his sides and take his hands, but he takes the opportunity to watch the worried wrinkles on Phil’s face smooth out as Mum takes his hand.  
They stay for a few hours before Phil’s parents say they really must be going, since Mum’s back isn’t meant to be in a hospital chair for so long.  
Dan waves goodbye to them, waiting until they leave to crawl into the narrow hospital bed with Phil and rest his head on Phil’s chest.  
Phil’s body is cold, despite being under several layers of blankets, so Dan wraps his arms tighter, trying to share his warmth.  
The movement causes Phil to stir and open his eyes, the world still blurry and groggy. He can see messy brown hair, but he can’t quite make out the glimmering eyes and wide smile next to him.  
“Dan?” he asks, trying to sit up. “Is that you?”  
“Shhh,” Dan whispers, pushing Phil back down onto the pillow, smiling when his eyes flutter shut. He presses a gentle kiss to his forehead, smiling against Phil’s cool skin.  
“Welcome home.”  
Dan’s focus isn’t on the stars above his head, but instead on what lies just below his nose. For once, he doesn’t mind.


End file.
